PRIDE OF A MAN

Episode First Shown: June 2^nd 1968

Joe’s friend, schoolteacher Abby Pettigrew, is injured while horse riding. Joe takes over her role at the local school. He’s faced with two brothers, Billy and Willy McNabb, who disrupt the class. Their father, a hog farmer, thinks his sons don’t need an education.

I've just watched this episode again and these are just my own personal thoughts. I liked Abby and thought that she was one of the women who was a reasonable girlfriend for Joe. I enjoyed her intelligent comment about mathematics for example when she is playing cards with Ben and Hoss.

I had a good laugh over the comedy - Joe in the dunce's hat, Candy's "Chicken Little" horseplay etc.

Now I just couldn't stand those two obnoxious brats Willy and Billy - I would have liked to expel them to a juvenile correction centre!! I simply couldn't imagine them changing to a position of respect to Joe nor to recognising their father's unfair views towards Joe and education.

I never like Joe getting beaten up of course but I didn't think it was realistic that Pa McNabb would have beaten the younger, fitter Joe in a fight. (I recognise that this was required in the scene so that
Willy and Billy could stand up for Joe.)

Some really nice Joe moments as he tries to think how to handle the McNabb boys and their father though I really can't imagine that the two boys would have been turned around into model pupils and their father been converted to education.

Trivia: Nice Candy fast mount from right, good Joe line about an educated hog farmer being a better hog farmer, nice Ben/Joe scenes where Ben shares his own insights into the behaviour of the Mcnabb family.

Hilary.

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